Force = mass x acceleration and therefore acceleration = force/mass. However, the force applied on a falling object is directly related to its mass (9.81 Newtons of force per kilogram.) Because of this direct relationship, all things fall at the same rate when there is no friction. All things in free fall accelerate at 9.81 meters/second squared
However, in reality, there is friction to worry about. So if the amount of surface area is large relative to the amount of mass, a significant amount of drag will result. For instance, a feather will fall very slowly. If you were to crush and compact this feather into a ball, the surface area and resisting drag would be greatly reduced. The feather would then fall much faster. see, simple
|